Current-rectifier.



C. J. QUILL, CURRENT RECHNER.

APPLiCATlO FILED SEPT. 25| |916. I

Patented Ja11.8,1918.

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:HH/n Es .rau/L L By `WWEK C. J. QUILL.

. cuRREN RECHNER.l

APPLICATION FILED SEPT-25,1916.

252,61 5; Patented Jan. 8, 1918. l

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UNITED sTATEs PATENT oEEIcE.

CHARLES J'. QUILL,' 0F SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNOR, -BY MESNE ASSIGN- MENTS, TO EDWIN W. BEABDSLEY, TRUSTEE, 0F SAN FBANCISCG. CALIFORNIA.

CURBENT-RECTIFIEB.

To all whom it may concern.'

Be it known that I, CHARLES' J. QUILT., a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing' at San Francisco, in the county .of San Francisco, State of California, have invented a new and useful Current-Rectifier, of which the following is a specication inv such full and clear terms as will enable those skilled in the art to construct and use the same.

This invention relates to an improved mechanical electric current rectifying mechanism of a simple and cheap construction, which has no parts likely to get out of order and which cannot be tampered with by unskilled operators. This invention is an improvement on the mechanical pole changer shown in mv patent application Serial Number 84,312 led Mar. 15, 1916. An object of the invention is to produce a pole changing device capable of being a-pplled to any small self starting synchronous motor now on the market, the quantity of current being rectified being` independent of the quantity of current used in the synchronous motor.

Another object of the invention is to produce a very high eiiciency rectifier, the only current being lost being that necessary to operate the synchronous motor, and which does not increase with an increased, demand on the amount of rectified current supplied, the only other loss being that of theI very ls)light' brush friction on the commutator ars.

Another object of the invention is to produce a pole changer'which willeliect the desired rectification of the current with substantially no sparking and without danger of a short circuit should the motor get out of step or stop.

An embodiment of the invention is shown in the drawing in which the same reference numeral is applied to the same portion throughout, but I am aware that there may be many modifications thereof.

Figure 1 is a side elevation of the complete device, a portion of a-synchronous m tor also being shown,

Fig. 2 is a transverse sectional view of the device, Y

Specification of Letters Patent.

Fig. 3 is a plan lview of the completed devlce,

Fig. 4 is a longitudinal sectionalview of formof this apparatus applied to storage battery work,

Fig. 8 is a 'diagrammatic plan view of this apparatus as applied to motion picture Work in which the current is used are lighting effects, and

Fig. 9 is a diagrammatic form of the device in which two banks of lamps are used in conjunction with the current for supplying the battery.

The numeral 1 indicates a suitable base on which is supported a synchronous motor 2 having suitable construction throughout and having a shaft 3 projecting therefrom upon which this rectifying apparatus is installed.

The rectifier consists of a tubular member 4 adapted to be placed on the shaft 3 and which is secured thereto by means of the set screw 5. The tubular member hasl a shoulder against which a tubular member 6 abuts, the latter being made of suitable fiber or other insulating material. Mounted on the tubular member 6, which is provided with a shoulder similar'to that on the tubular member 4, are two Contact rings 7 and 8 which are 'radially positioned with an infor' supplying Patented Jan. 8, 1918. application mea september 25, 191e. serial No. 121,998.

sula'ting iber ring "9' between them.' Adja-v Acent the ring 8 there is a ber ring 10 and alsomounted on the tubular member 6 in four adjacent circumferential sets of four each are the sixteen metallic segments 11,

said segments being insulated from each other by radially extending portions of the tubular member 6,as indicated at 12 in Fig. 2 and by means of the fiber rings 13, 14, 15 and 16, each of said rings being suitably dovetailed as illustrated in Fig. 4 to hold the segments 11 in place. A washer 18 is used under the nut `19 to bolt all of the rin s and the two tubular members 4 and 6 tight y together.

' A post 20 extends upwardly from the base 1 and is provided with a centering pin 21 for holding the cise position that times. A set screw 22 holds the screw 21 in a given adjustment.

Adjacent the path of 'the two rings 7 and 8 are two contact brushes 23v and 24, which brushes are held by suitable posts 25, 26. Also adjacent the pole changer there are four posts 27, 28, 29 and 30, eachof which is provided with a tubular member 31, 32, 33and 34, -said members carrying suitable contact brushes 35, 36, 37 and 38 adapted to run on the segments ll'ninety degrees apart and on the separate series of' segments so that only one brush bears on any one of the groups of four segmentsfinto whichthe siltteen segments, referred to above, are divided when mounted on the commutator.

While there are sixteen segments 11 only eight of them are connected with the rings 7 and 8, wires 65, 66 Fig. 4 being shown connecting to four of the segments, while the wires 67, 68, Fig. 2 are shown connected pole changer in the preto two of the other segments. The remaining segments are simply used as a trackv for the brushes.

In Fig. 7 there is shown the wiring system Ain detail. In said figure the line wires are indicated at 50, 51 while the feed brushes are shown at 23, 24, the feed rings at 7 and 8, separated by the insulation disk 9.

A wire 52 leads from the lring 7 to a connection 53 extending to the segments 11a, 11b, a similar -wire 54 leading to the segments 11e, 11d in the next space but one from the first segments and 90 degrees different therefrom. Another wire' 55 eX- tends from the ring 8 to wires V56, 57 connected with the contact segments 11e, 11f and 11g, 11h respectively. It is to be observed (see Figs. 2, 4 and 5) that the inlet wires are placed in holes 61, 62, 63 and 64 in the tube 6, and that the wires two of which are shown at 65, 66 are connected to the alternate segments of alternate series. The wires 67, 68 are similarly connected to alternate segments 90 degrees different from the latter wires and in the other alternate series. .The brushes B1, B2, B3, and B4 are connected to the wires 60, 61, 62 and 63 respectively, said wires having resistances 74, and 76. At 77 thereis a polarized relay to .show the polarity of the rectified current. y

The wires 70 and 73 are joined on one side of the reversing` switch 78 while the wires 71, 72 are joined on the opposite side of said switch. rllhe relay 77 has a shunt wire 80 with which the armature 81 may connect. tolelose a circuit through the wires 82, Alainp 83 and-wire 84 to s ow. the poit should occupy at all 'messie' larity of the current delivered. A wire 85, lam 86 and wire 87 connect the brushes B1, 3 to act as a direct current pilot light.

The pilot light 83 just mentioned is for the purpose of enabling the operator to know the polarity of the current he may be delivering to the battery since with a battery itis essential that the polarity of the current must be such as will charge the battery and not discharge it, a consideration of little moment in arc' lighting machines. The reason of this lies in the fact that it is impossible to determine in advance' the polarity of the current that will come oif the Irectifier when the switches are closed, and if not correct it can be changed to the battery yat the switch 78. The pilot light 86 is'for the purpose-of showing when direct current is 4dow/ing.

Now from the foregoing construction it will be seen that when the alternating current rings and split segments are rotated synchronouslywith the machine producing the alternating current that unidirectional current will be delivered to the battery B which is connected to the reversing switch 78 by the wires 88, 89. Sinceit is impossible in advance to determine the polarity of the unidirectional current the operator must stand ready to shift the reversing switch as -soon as a light shows in the lamp 83 to prevent discharging the battery.

The arrangement of the switch board is shown in Fig. 6 in which 90 indicates the base, 83 a lamp having a red globe for indieating the polarity of the direct current, M the synchronous motor, 92 the switch, 93 an ammeter, 94 the double pole reversing switch and 95 the polarized relay.

In Fig. 8 lthere is shown the wiring for using current for a motion picture arc light. In this i'igure the numbering is thel saine as in Fig. 7 except that wires 97, 98, 99 and 100 lead tothe reversing switch 78, while wires 101, 102 lead to the arc light 103. The wires 97, 98 have resistances 104, 105 and the so-called current smoothing coils 107, 106, which latter coils are used to improve the character vof the current used on the carbons thereby preventing the noisy hissing often present.

In Fig. 9 there is shown a slightly diierent system in which the wires 110, 111, 112 and 113 lead to the 'reversing switch 7 8*, two banks of lamps 114, 115 being used as resistance'in the wires 110, 113. .In this form there is an automatic polarity corrector 116 cut across the poles of the reversing switch.

The four pole rectiiier shown is intended .for the rectification of 60 cycle current oprent and number of revolutions per minute.

Having thus described my invention what claim as new and desire to secure by Let- 1. A current rectifier comprising the comi bination, with a synchronous motor, of a commutator, comprising a. plurality of segments, a pair of alternating'current rings, connections between the alternate segments and rings, two alternating current brushes and four direct current brushes bearing on the segments.

2. A current rectifier comprising the combination with a synchronous motor of a commutator adapted to be rotated with the armature and having a plurality of segments in four sets adapted to divide the current between two complete circuits, and brushes to deliver the current unidirectionally to suitable apparatus for the use thereot', which apparatus receives current from both of said circuits.

3. A current rectifier comprising the com- -bination with a synchronous motor of a commutator havingv four seriesaof segments and two alternating current rings, connections between the rings and oppositely placed alternate segments, and four brushes adapted to contact with the segments to receive direct current therefrom.

4. A current rectifier for transforming alternating into direct current, a pair 'of alternating circuit wires, two alternating current rings and four series of segments, segments to which each of said wires are led, brushes to take current off said segments, and circuits completed alternately through apparatus to use said current and alternate lsets of segments.

5. A current rectifying device for changing alternating into direct current consisting of 'a pair of circuit wires connected with the alternating ,current supply, a pair of alternating current rings connected with each alternating current wire, four series of commutator segments connected in alternate pairs with the alternate current rings, brushes in Contact with said commutators, said brushes being so positioned as to complete a circuit intermittently through alternate segments of said commutator and through a'circuit adapted to use the direct current.

6. A current rectifying device comprising a pair of alternating current wires, a plurality of sets of commutator segments to which each of said wires is electrically connected, the segments of each set being positioned 90 degrees different from the segments of the set next adjacent, wires extending from the ,brushes for each set of segments to anA apparatus for using the uni directional current, brushes to take current from the contact segments. and deliver it a1- ternately to the two circuits just mentioned unidirectionally, and a suitable resistance in each of the circuits to prevent the back electromotive force of the apparatus using current from effecting the commutator rings.

7. An alternating current rectifier consisting of a pair of alternating current supply wires, a pair of alternating current rings to which said wires are electrically connected, a plurality of commutator segments having the live segments positioned 90 degrees from the live segments next adjacent, two circuits completed to the commutator segments and through an apparatus for .the use of direct current, and four brushes bearing upon said commutator segments and connected with the two circuits just mentioned whereby they will receive electric current alternately from the commutator segments.

8. A current rectifying device comprising a pair of alternating current supply wires, two alternating current rings four sets A,or commutator segments electrically fconnected' with the alternating'current rings,

a' brush for each set of commutator segments positioned 90 degrees from each other brush, an apparatus for using unidirectional current and two complete circuits extending from the brush to the apparatus for using unidirectional current substantially as described. r

9. A current rectifying apparatus comprising the combination with a pair of alternating current wires of two alternating current rings electrically connected with each wire, four sets of adjacent commutator segments, brushes bearing upon each set of commutator segments, two complete circuits connected with the brushes, and anapparatus for the use of unidirectional current connected with said two circuits and receiving unidirectional current first from one of said circuits and then from the other.

l0. A current rectifying device comprising a pair of alternating current wires. a pair of alternating current rings electrically connected therewith, a plurality of commutator segments-'in adjacent series, the live segments being 90 degrees dilierent in position from the live segments next adjacent, four brushes in contact with said segments, a pair of circuits completed through said brushes and through an apparatus for the use of unidirectional current,anda polarized relay in one of the brush circuits for determining the direction of the current rectitier.

11. An electric current-rectifier comprising a pair of alternating current'wires, a pair of alternating current iigs with which said Wireslare electrically connected, a plurality of commutator segments side by sideysaid segments being connectedin alternately positioned vpairs with the tWo alternating current rings, brushes bearing upon the commutator segments and positioned 90 degrees from each other, two complete circuits extending from the brushes to an apparatus for using unidirectional current, one circuit receiving current alternately with the other, and resistance Wires in each of said circuits to prevent the back electromotive force of the apparatus to which the current is being sent 10 from injuring the brushes and commutator segments.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 15th day of September A. D.

CHARLES J.. -QUILL 

